Plymouth Argyle vs Liverpool LIVE: FA Cup result and reaction after Ryan Hardie penalty secures famous win
Plymouth 1-0 Liverpool: Ryan Hardie converted from the spot to give the Championship strugglers the victory
Plymouth Argyle battled to a famous FA Cup victory as a penalty from Ryan Hardie gave the Pilgrims a 1-0 win over Liverpool on Sunday.
Both sides contested a tense first half in which the visitors barely threatened and lost Joe Gomez to injury, and the hosts managed to pounce on their opportunity after the break when Harvey Elliott handled in the box, with Ryan Hardie calmly converting after a lengthy pause.
Miron Muslic’s side continued to have chances but it was Liverpool who piled on the late pressure, with the Reds coming close through James McConnell, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota.
Plymouth ‘keeper Hazard was a late hero after two brilliant saves during the nine minutes of added time, the first from Jota’s half-volley and the second as he tipped over from a point-blank Nunez header.
And moments after keeping his side in the lead, the final whistle went on a game that may well become known as a type of FA Cup classic, as the Championship’s bottom club knocked out the side at the top of the Premier League.
Follow all the FA Cup action with our live blog below:
FA Cup: Fourth round results so far
Here’s a quick rundown of the results so far in the fourth round, as well as some linked match reports.
Friday, 7 February
Saturday, 8 February
Leeds United 0-2 Millwall
Coventry 1-4 Ipswich
Preston 0-0 Wycombe (PNE win 4-2 on pens)
Stoke City 3-3 Cardiff (CAR win 4-3 on pens)
Southampton 0-1 Burnley
Wigan 1-2 Fulham
Match facts
Plymouth Argyle’s only previous FA Cup tie with Liverpool in the 2017 third round saw them draw 0-0 at Anfield as a fourth tier side, before losing 1-0 in a replay at Home Park.
That replay was the last time these two sides met, with the last match before that dating all the way back to 1962, when the two sides faced off in what was then Division Two.
Why is there no VAR in the FA Cup fourth round?
This has already provided some controversy this weekend...
The FA Cup continues this weekend with the fourth round of the old competition.
But fans of sides in the English top tier will notice a difference in their fixtures, with the video assistant referee (VAR) system not in use.
Introduced to the Premier League in the 2019/20 season, protracted reviews and VAR decisions have become commonplace within fixtures in the division.
English football’s flagship club competition has previously only had VAR in operation at fixtures hosted at Premier League grounds or Wembley due to the infrastructure, workforce and costs that are required for its operation.
But the organisers of the FA Cup have confirmed a different approach in this edition of the tournament.
The extra officials and accompanying technology will only be in place from the fifth round onwards, meaning that all games in rounds three and four will have no VAR regardless of the venue at which they are hosted.
Why is there no VAR in the FA Cup fourth round?
Liverpool boss Arne Slot delighted to reach cup final but focused on next match
Arne Slot hailed a special moment after guiding Liverpool into the Carabao Cup final during his first season, but insisted his thoughts were already on the next game.
The holders booked a Wembley date with Newcastle next month as they comfortably overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit in their semi-final against Tottenham with a convincing 4-0 victory in the Anfield return on Thursday.
Slot is enjoying a superb debut campaign as Reds boss, with his team also leading the Premier League and through to the last 16 of the Champions League.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot delighted to reach cup final but focused on next match
Every FA Cup game on TV this weekend
Here’s a quick rundown of the remaining televised games over the weekend and into next week.
Sunday 9 February
Blackburn Rovers vs Wolves (Live on BBC iPlayer) - 12.30pm
Plymouth Argyle vs Liverpool (Live on ITV 1 and ITV X) - 3pm
Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur (Live on BBC One and iPlayer) - 5.35pm
Monday 10 February
Doncaster Rovers vs Crystal Palace (Live on BBC iPlayer) - 7.45pm
Tuesday 11 February
Exeter City vs Nottingham Forest (Live on ITV 1 and ITV X)
Every FA Cup fourth round match on TV this weekend
Manchester City avoid shock at Leyton Orient thanks to Kevin De Bruyne winner
We weren’t too far from a huge upset yesterday...
Kevin De Bruyne struck in the 79th minute to spare the blushes of Manchester City and earn them a hard-fought 2-1 victory in a rip-roaring FA Cup fourth-round tie at Leyton Orient.
The League One side went ahead in remarkable fashion after 16 minutes when a 40-yard strike by Tottenham loanee Jamie Donley hit the bar and went in off City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega to send Brisbane Road into pandemonium.
Pep Guardiola had watched City get thumped 5-1 at Arsenal last Sunday and would have feared more London woe, but substitute Abdukodir Khusanov deflected a Rico Lewis shot to level after 56 minutes.
Man City avoid shock at Leyton Orient thanks to De Bruyne winner
LeBron James sports Liverpool top during Lakers game
LeBron James is a minority investor in Liverpool and was seen sporting the club’s colours while on Los Angeles Lakers duty over the weekend.
Jarell Quansah details standards to make it at Liverpool
“It’s not just because of maybe a change of manager or coaching staff, I think you’ve always got to prove yourself because we’re always looking in the market for the best players in the world and you’re always competing against the best.
“So, yeah, for me, I’m always trying to prove myself every day in training and in every game.
“Just like last season as well, I’m learning and just trying to get better and better, really. It just takes hard work and what I do on the training pitch will help put me in good stead for what I do in the games.”
Liverpool’s transfer patience is smart but one key position requires attention soon
Many a manager has been heard saying he needs more players. There is a case for saying Arne Slot already has too many. He had to omit Joe Gomez and Federico Chiesa from his matchday squad for Saturday’s win at Bournemouth, leaving him lamenting the fact he is only allowed to name nine substitutes for domestic games and calling for an increase to 12.
Liverpool are the instant, eloquent rebuttal to suggestions that clubs forever need to buy. Slot has a simple explanation for their inactivity in January and their quiet summer last year. “Maybe there are not many managers who have such a good squad as I have,” he smiled.
The league table supports that argument. Should Liverpool retain top spot, it will prove the second time they have won the Premier League after a summer of scant spending. Last year’s additions – as they made a profit from sales – were Chiesa, who is yet to start a league game and Giorgi Mamardashvili, who has not arrived yet. In 2019, they recruited only the back-up goalkeeper Adrian and a 16-year-old Harvey Elliott.
And yet even at the most well-run clubs, a quiet year in the transfer window can lead to more business further down the line. That may be the case at Anfield, though Slot scarcely wants a clearout. "It would be a bit weird if I said I was so happy with this team in the summer window and this winter window that now in the next window we bring 15 new players in,” he said.
Liverpool’s transfer patience is smart but one key position requires attention soon
Liverpool starting to make better use of their number nine – Arne Slot
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot believes his side are finally starting to get the best out of Darwin Nunez, having learned a more effective way to play with a number nine.
The Uruguay international impressed with his work rate and all-round contribution in Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg win over Tottenham, despite not really having a genuine goal-scoring chance.
Nunez has alternated with Diogo Jota in the central attacking role, while winger Luis Diaz has been deployed as a false nine on a number of occasions.
Jota is likely to get the nod to start against Championship bottom side Plymouth in the FA Cup as he needs minutes after coming off the bench late on against Spurs, having missed four matches with another injury and been an unused substitute at Bournemouth last weekend.
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